Marking apparatus and methods for creating an electronic record of marking apparatus operations

ABSTRACT

A marking system may hold a container from which markers are dispensed to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig area. The container may identify a marker characteristic regarding the markers in the container. The marking system may receive activation of a trigger, dispense a marker from the container when the trigger is activated, and store the marker characteristic and time data when the trigger is activated. In other embodiments, the marking system may dispense a marker, determine location data and/or time data, and substantially simultaneously trigger the dispensing of the marker and logging of the location data and/or the time data. The location data identifies a geographic location where the marker is dispensed and the time data identifies the time when the marker is dispensed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/363,951, filed Feb.2, 2009 and entitled “Electronically Controlled Marking Apparatus andMethods,” which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 as acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/685,602,filed Mar. 13, 2007 and entitled “Marking System and Method withLocation and/or Time Tracking,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/696,606, filed Apr. 4, 2007 and entitled “Marking System and Method.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to marking systems and methods to mark thepresence or absence of an underground facility in a dig area.

BACKGROUND

Underground man-made objects, such as utility lines, cables and pipes(hereinafter “underground facilities”), are very susceptible to damagefrom excavation activities. Local and federal laws require thatnotification be given to owners of underground facilities in an area tobe excavated before any excavation takes place. The owners of theunderground facilities typically must locate and mark the location ofany underground facilities.

The tasks of locating and marking underground facilities can beperformed by either the underground facility owner or by third partycontractors. A marking tool is typically used to mark the ground,pavement or other surfaces in order to provide a visual indication ofthe location of underground facilities. Paint is commonly used as themarker, and it is typically applied using a paint marking tool. Thecolor of the paint is typically chosen based on the type of facilitybeing marked (e.g., red for a power line). However, other types ofmarkers, such as other types of liquids, flags and stakes are also used,and different visual or other characteristics of the marker are used forrepresenting different types of underground facilities. For example, thecolor, shape or other characteristic of a flag marker can represent aparticular type of underground facility (e.g., a square shaped flag canbe used to mark a power line).

When paint is used as the marker, a worker marks the location of anunderground facility using a paint marking tool to spray paint on theground to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility. Thepaint marking tools typically used have a paint canister holder that isadapted to hold a single aerosol can of paint in an axial orientationwith respect to the long axis of the aerosol can. The paint marking toolis typically designed to enable a user to walk or stand erect whiledispensing the paint.

When an underground facility is located, the worker will load a paintcan of the appropriate color for the underground facility being markedinto the paint marking tool. When it is time to mark a different type ofunderground facility, the worker must change the paint can to one of theappropriate color for the new underground facility being marked.

Inaccurate marking of the underground facilities can result in physicaldamage to underground facilities, property damage, and/or personalinjury during the excavation process that, in turn, can expose theunderground facility owner or contractor to significant legal liability.When underground facilities are damaged and/or when property damage orpersonal injury results from hitting a underground facility during anexcavation, the excavator may assert that the underground facility wasnot accurately marked by the entity that carried out the marking, whilethe entity that marked the underground facility will assert that theunderground facility was properly marked. Proving whether theunderground facility was properly marked can be difficult after theexcavation, because in many cases the paint line used to mark theunderground facility will have been disturbed or destroyed during theexcavation process.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the invention, a marking apparatus isprovided to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility in adig area, comprising: a housing configured to enable dispensing of amarker onto the ground for marking the presence or absence of anunderground facility in a dig area; a marking dispenser holder affixedto the housing to hold a replaceable marking dispenser; an actuator toenable a user to cause dispensing of the marker from the markingdispenser onto the ground to mark the presence or absence of anunderground facility in the dig area; and a processing device to log oneor more data elements associated with operation of the marking apparatusin an electronic record of marking apparatus operation.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided foroperating a marking apparatus that holds a marking dispenser for markingthe presence or absence of an underground facility in a dig area,comprising: operating the marking apparatus in association withdispensing a marker from the marking dispenser onto the ground in thedig area to mark the presence or absence of the underground facility;and logging one or more data elements associated with the operation ofthe marking apparatus, using a processing device, in an electronicrecord of marking apparatus operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments describedherein and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary marking system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary marking tool;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary triggering system that may be usedin the marking tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of another exemplary marking tool;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for marking an area; and

FIGS. 6A-6C are diagrams of exemplary entries that can be created.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does notlimit the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary marking system 100. The system100 may include a communication system 110, an interface 120, a localmemory 130, a processor 140, a marker dispenser 150, a triggering system160, a tag reader 170, a location tracking system 180, and a timingsystem 190. In other implementations, system 100 may include additionalor different components. In some embodiments, one or more of thecommunication system 110, the tag reader 170, the location trackingsystem 180 and the timing system 190 may be omitted, depending on theparticular application of the marking system 100.

The system 100 may be used to dispense markers. In one exemplaryapplication of the system 100, the markers may be used to markunderground facilities, such as telecommunications (e.g., telephoneand/or cable), power, gas, water, or sewer. The marker that is used tomark underground facilities may include a liquid, such as paint, orobjects, such as flags, stakes, etc.

A user may control the operation of the system 100 via interface 120. Inone implementation, interface 120 may include a touch screen interfacethat can provide various operational controls and status indicators ofthe system 100, and can allow the user to navigate the controls bytouching particular areas of the screen. In another implementation, theinterface 120 may include another form of input and/or output, such as,for example, a display for displaying information and a keypad forentering information. In either situation, the interface 120 may provideoperational controls to function as the triggering system 160.

The triggering system 160 may trigger the dispensing of markers and thestoring of marking information. The marking information, which will bedescribed in more detail below, may include information regarding acharacteristic of the marker(s) being dispensed, time data (e.g., atimestamp and/or elapsed time information), and/or count data (e.g., anumber of times that markers were dispensed). In operation, a user mayengage a triggering mechanism in the triggering system 160 (explained inmore detail below) in order to dispense the markers. When the triggeringmechanism is engaged, the triggering system 160 may also initiatestoring of the marking information. This may be done by sending a signalto the processor 140, which may cause processor 140 to store the markinginformation in local memory 130. Alternatively, or additionally, theprocessor 140 may store the marking information by transmitting themarking information for storage by a device or system external to system100. In one implementation, marking information may be stored only whena marker is being dispensed by the marker dispenser 150.

The marker dispenser 150 may hold the markers and may also contain anactuation mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1) that causes the markers to bedispensed when the triggering system 160 is activated. As describedabove, the markers dispensed by the marker dispenser 150 may include aliquid (e.g., paint) or an object (e.g., flags or stakes). Details ofthe marker dispenser 150 will be discussed in more detail below.

The system 100 may also include a tag reader 170. In one implementation,tag reader 170 may include a device that can read tags. A “tag,” as theterm is used herein, may refer to any item that is capable of storingmachine-readable information, such as a barcode, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) device, or a near field communication (NFC)device. A tag may be passive, active, or any combination thereof. Apassive tag may transmit data in response to signals received from tagreader 170. An active tag may continuously transmit data. Tags can beattached to the markers that are loaded into the marker dispenser 150and can incorporate data that corresponds to one or more characteristicsof the marker (e.g., paint color if the marker is paint). Other examplesof marker characteristics include, but are not limited to, the type ofmarker and a shape of marker. The tag reader 170 may incorporate anantenna (not shown) to enable reading the data from a tag (whetherpassive, active, or any combination thereof). The data read by the tagreader 170 can then be sent to the processor 140 for a determination ofthe corresponding characteristic. The corresponding characteristic canthen be stored in local memory 130, displayed by the interface 120,and/or transmitted external to system 100.

Communication system 110 may include an interface for transmitting datato and/or receiving data from one or more external devices and/orsystems located either local to or remote from the system 100.Communication system 110 may include any type of interface, such as aninterface for communicating via Ethernet, Bluetooth, Wifi, radiofrequency (RF), a wide area network (WAN), or another type of network orprotocol.

In one implementation, communication system 110 may send markinginformation stored in local memory 130 to an external device/systemand/or receive information from an external device/system. The markinginformation may be used by the external device/system to identify amarker dispensed by a user of system 100, identify a time at which themarker was dispensed, and/or determine an amount of the marker used at aparticular location.

In one implementation, the system 100 may be used to accurately recordthe geographic location where markers are dispensed using data from thelocation tracking system 180 and/or the time at which the markers aredispensed using data from the timing system 190. In one exemplaryapplication of the system 100, the location of markers used to markunderground facilities and/or the time at which the markers aredispensed can be accurately and reliably recorded. The marker that isused to mark underground facilities may include a liquid, such as paint.However, other types of markers, such as objects (e.g., flags, stakes,etc.), may be used in other implementations.

The location tracking system 180 may include any device that candetermine its geographic location to a certain degree of accuracy, suchas a global positioning system (GPS) or a global navigation satellitesystem (GNSS) receiver. In another implementation, the location trackingsystem 180 can include a device that determines location using anothertechnique, such as tower (e.g., cellular tower) triangularization.

The location tracking system 180 may receive location-tracking signals(e.g., GPS signals) and determine its location based on these signals.In one implementation, the location tracking system 180 may be capableof determining its location within less than approximately thirtycentimeters.

The timing system 190 may include any device that can output time datato some level of accuracy (e.g., accuracy to the minute, the second, themillisecond, etc.). In one implementation, the timing system 190 may becapable of generating the time data itself. In this situation, thetiming system 190 may take the form of a clock. In anotherimplementation, the timing system 190 may receive the time data fromanother timing system. In this situation, the timing system 190 may takethe form of a receiver. In some situations, it may be beneficial for thetiming system 190 to be synchronized to another timing system.

The triggering system 160 may trigger the logging of location and/ortime data and the dispensing of markers. In one implementation, thesystem 100 may log location and/or time data only when a marker is beingdispensed by the marker dispenser 150. This may be accomplished via atriggering mechanism that, when actuated by the user, triggers both themarker dispenser 150 and the logging of location and/or time data. Thelocation data may be received from the location tracking system 180, andlogged and stored in local memory 130 by the processor 140. The timedata may be received from the timing system 190, and logged and storedin local memory 130 by the processor 140.

In operation, a user may engage a triggering mechanism in the triggeringsystem 160 (explained in more detail below) in order to dispense themarkers. When the triggering mechanism is engaged, the triggering system160 may also initiate logging of location data received from thelocation tracking system 180 and/or time data received from the timingsystem 190. This may be done by sending a signal to the processor 140,which may cause processor 140 to store a log of the location and/or timedata in local memory 130.

In one implementation, communication system 110 may send location and/ortime data logs stored in local memory 130 to an external device/systemand/or receive information from an external device/system. The locationdata logs may be used by the external device/system to accurately trackthe location where the markers were dispensed. The time data logs may beused by the external device/system to accurately track a time at whichthe markers were dispensed.

As discussed above, marking information, count data, locationinformation and/or time data may be stored, or logged, in local memory130 by processor 140. Alternatively or additionally, the markinginformation, count data, location information and/or time data may betransmitted to an external device or system, using communication system110, for storage and/or analysis. The logging and/or transmission ofsuch information may be initiated by actuation of the triggeringmechanism for dispensing of markers or by other events, such asoperation of tag reader 170.

System 100, as broadly described herein, may be particularly suited forincorporation into marking tools for marking underground utilities. Asdiscussed above, a marking tool is used to mark the ground, pavement orother surfaces in order to provide a visual indication of the locationof underground utilities. The type of marker that may be used includespaint that may be supplied in aerosol canisters that are orientedaxially with respect to the long axis of the aerosol canisters. Themarking tool enables a user to walk or stand erect while dispensing themarkers.

If system 100 is incorporated into a paint marking tool, a tag may beattached to the paint canisters to identify a characteristic of thepaint, such as the color of the paint in the paint canister. The tagreader 170 can read this paint characteristic (e.g., the colorinformation) from the tag when the paint canister is inserted into themarker dispenser 150, and the processor 140 can display the colorinformation read by the tag reader 170 on the interface 120.Alternatively, or additionally, the color information may be provided tothe user in other ways. For example, the color information may beaudibly provided to the user (e.g., via a generated voice or a series ofbeeps or honks). The color information may also, or alternatively, beprovided to the user visually in a manner other than via interface 120.For example, the color information may be provided on an object worn orcarried by the user (e.g., a pair of glasses, a bracelet, a ring, etc.having display capabilities and/or being capable of changing color).

In one implementation, the processor 140 can estimate how much paint ofa particular color has been dispensed. The processor 140 could do thisby maintaining a separate timer for each color. The timer for aparticular color would increase its count every time the triggeringmechanism is activated and that color is mounted in the marker dispenser150 (which can be determined by reading the tag on the paint canisterusing the tag reader 170). This information can be useful for managingpaint inventory or determining whether the amount of paint used at aparticular location is reasonable given the job to be performed at thatlocation.

A paint marking tool is just one possible application of system 100.System 100 can be applied to any marking system that uses markers thatcan be affixed with tags. Any marker characteristic that a user wouldfind useful can be stored on the tag that is affixed to the marker.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary marking tool 200. For thedescription to follow, assume that the marking tool 200 uses paint asthe marker. However, it should be appreciated that any other marker,such as another type of liquid, flags, stakes, etc., may be used inother implementations.

The marking tool 200 may include a housing 220 with an elongated centerhousing portion 240, a top housing portion 260 and a bottom housingportion 280. The housing 220 may be formed of any at least semi-rigidmaterial, and may be formed of a lightweight material such as aluminumor plastic.

A paint canister holder 282 may be attached to the bottom housingportion 280. The paint canister holder 282 may include an open-endedtubular structure that is attached to the bottom housing portion 280 byany suitable attachment mechanisms, such as rivets, adhesive, mechanicalfasteners or the like. The paint canister holder 282 may be formed ofany material such as injection-molded plastic, formed sheet metal or anyother appropriate material that may be fabricated into an open tubularconfiguration or any other configuration that will serve to support apaint canister 284 with the paint canister axis substantially parallelto the housing 220.

A tag reader 246, which may include a device that can read tags, may bemounted on or located within the housing 220. The tag reader 246 mayincorporate an antenna (not shown) to enable reading of data from a tag.When a tag 286 is attached to a paint canister 284 that incorporatesdata that corresponds to characteristics of the paint (e.g., paintcolor), the tag reader 246 may read that data. Other examples of markercharacteristics include, but are not limited to, the type of marker andthe shape of marker. The data read by the tag reader 246 can then besent to a processor 268 for a determination of the correspondingcharacteristic. The corresponding characteristic can then be provided tothe user, stored in local memory 270, and/or transmitted external tomarking tool 200.

The tag reader 246 may be mounted anywhere on the housing or on thepaint canister holder 282. However, the tag reader 246 does not have tobe mounted anywhere on the marking tool 200 itself. For example, the tagreader 246 may be carried by a user. In general, the tag reader 246 maybe mounted or located at any location, as long as it can receive datatransmitted from the tag 286.

An actuation mechanism 288 may be attached to the bottom housing portion280 at a location from which it can actuate the nozzle 290 of the paintcanister 284. The actuation mechanism 288 may include a rigid materialthat depresses the nozzle 290 when actuated. However, any mechanism maybe used to actuate the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284.

A handle 262 may be provided at the top housing portion 260. The handle262 may be formed of injection-molded plastic or any other appropriatematerial, and may be attached to the top housing portion 260 by rivets,adhesive, or any other suitable means. A mechanical trigger 264 may beprovided on the top housing portion 260. The mechanical trigger 264 maybe located on the handle 262 and attached using any suitable means.

The display 266 may be provided on the top housing portion 260. Thedisplay 266 may include a touch-screen display for displayinginformation to a user, as well as acting as an input device. Theprocessor 268 and the local memory 270 are located in the housing 220.In one implementation, the processor 268 and local memory 270 may belocated in the top housing portion 260 so as to be in close proximity tothe display 266 and mechanical trigger 264. In another implementation,the processor 268 and local memory 270 may be located elsewhere withinthe housing 220.

A timer 272 may be provided on the top housing portion 260 or may belocated elsewhere within the housing. The timer 272 may include anydevice that can output time data to some level of accuracy (e.g.,accuracy to the minute, the second, the millisecond, etc.). In oneimplementation, the timer 272 may be capable of generating the time dataitself. In this situation, the timer 272 may take the form of a clock.In another implementation, the timer 272 may receive the time data fromanother device external to marking tool 200. In this situation, thetimer 272 may take the form of a receiver. In some situations, it may bebeneficial for the timer 272 to be synchronized to another timer. Thetimer 272 may output time data to the processor 268.

A wireless communication antenna 242 may be located on the housing 220,and used to transmit data, such as marking information, locationinformation and/or time data stored in local memory 270, to an externaldevice/system and/or to receive information from an externaldevice/system.

A location tracking system receiver 292 for receiving location trackingsignals (e.g., GPS signals) may be mounted inside the housing 220. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 2, the location tracking system receiver 292 maybe located at the bottom housing portion 280. In another embodiment, thelocation tracking system receiver 292 may be located elsewhere within oron the housing 220 at a location that optimizes signal reception.However, the location tracking system receiver 292 does not have to bemounted anywhere on the marker tool itself. For example, the locationtracking system receiver 292 may be carried by a user. In general, thelocation tracking system receiver 292 may be mounted or located at anylocation, as long as it can receive the location tracking signals.

The marking tool 200 may also include one or more input/output ports244, such as USB, SCSI, Firewire, Ethernet and/or other ports, forinterfacing with other equipment and/or computers.

In operation, a user operates the marking tool 200 while standing orwalking in an upright manner. A user may control the operation of thetool 200 via display 266, a mechanical trigger 264, and/or a wireless orwired (hereinafter “wireless/wired”) interface that may be provided viawireless communication antenna 242 and/or input/output ports 244.

The various operational controls and status indicators of the tool 200are displayed on display 266, and the user can also navigate thecontrols by touching particular areas of the display 266. Although atouch-screen display is one form of the display 266, any other type ofdisplay or interface may be used such as, for example, a display fordisplaying information and a keypad for entering information. The usermay use the display 266 to trigger the dispensing of paint and thestoring, or logging, of marking information, location information and/ortime data.

The mechanical trigger 264 may trigger the dispensing of paint and thestoring of marking information. In one implementation, the tool 200 maystore the marking information only when paint is being dispensed. Thismay be accomplished by using a mechanical trigger 264 that, whenactivated by the user, triggers both the actuation mechanism 288 for thepaint canister 284 and the storing of the marking information by theprocessor 268.

The mechanical trigger 264 may trigger the logging of the location data(e.g., GPS coordinate) and/or the time data, and the dispensing ofpaint. In one implementation, the tool 200 may log the location and/ortime data only when paint is being dispensed. This may be accomplishedby utilizing a mechanical trigger 264 that, when actuated by the user,substantially simultaneously triggers both the actuation mechanism 288for the paint canister 284 and the logging of the location and/or timedata by the processor 268. The processor 268 may receive the locationdata from the location tracking system receiver 292, the time data fromthe timer 272, and store the location and/or time data in local memory270.

The mechanical trigger 264 can trigger the actuation mechanism 288 via amechanical connection between the trigger 264 and the actuationmechanism 288. For example, the actuation mechanism 288 can be a rigidmaterial that is connected to the mechanical trigger 264 via amechanical linkage (not shown), in which case depressing the mechanicaltrigger 264 may cause the actuation mechanism to apply pressure to thenozzle 290 of the paint canister 284. However, the mechanical trigger264 may also, or alternatively, trigger the actuation mechanism 288 viaan electronic connection. The electronic connection may be a hardwiredconnection or a wireless connection. If the connection between themechanical trigger 264 and the actuation mechanism 288 is an electronicconnection, the actuation mechanism 288 may include a mechanism forgenerating the force necessary to depress the nozzle 290 of the paintcanister 284.

The wireless/wired interface may be capable of capturing signals thatreflect a user's intent. For example, the wireless/wired interface mayinclude a microphone that can capture a user's intent by capturing theuser's audible commands. Alternatively, the wireless/wired interface mayinteract with a device that monitors a condition of the user, such aseye movement, brain activity, or heart rate. In either event, thewireless/wired interface may generate signals that may be sent to theprocessor 268 for processing. The processor 268 may use the signals totrigger the dispensing of paint and the storing of marking information,location information and/or time data.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of one embodiment of a triggering system 300 thatmay be used in the marking tool 200 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, thetriggering system 300 may include the mechanical trigger 264, awireless/wired trigger 320, and/or a touch screen display 266, theactuation mechanism 288, and a signal generator 310.

In operation, a user may trigger the storing of the marking information,the location information and/or the time data, and the dispensing ofpaint by activating the mechanical trigger 264. The storing of themarking information, the location information and/or the time data andthe dispensing of paint may also, or alternatively, be triggered by atrigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320 or by choosing a commandthat is displayed on the touch screen display 266. It should beappreciated that triggering system 300 may include a mechanical trigger264, a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320, a trigger commandon a touch screen display 266, or a combination of a mechanical trigger264, a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320, and/or a triggercommand on a touch screen display 266 for initiating the storing of themarking information, the location information and/or the time data, andthe dispensing of paint.

When a user activates the mechanical trigger 264, the actuationmechanism 288 and the signal generator 310 are both activated. Theactuation mechanism 288 actuates the nozzle 290 of the paint canister284, thus dispensing paint out of the paint canister 284. The signalgenerator 310, when activated, sends a signal to the processor 268indicating that the mechanical trigger is being activated. As discussedabove, this signal could be used to trigger the storing of markinginformation and/or a timer for keeping track of how much paint of aparticular color has been dispensed when a tag 286 that identifies thepaint color is attached to the paint canister 284 that is mounted in thepaint canister holder 282.

When a user actuates the mechanical trigger 264, the actuation mechanism288 and the signal generator 310 are both activated. The actuationmechanism 288 actuates the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284, thusdispensing paint out of the paint canister 284. The signal generator310, when activated, sends a start log signal to the processor 268 fortriggering the logging of location and/or time data. For example, thestart log signal may instruct the processor 268 to read, or otherwiseobtain, location data from location tracking system 180 (FIG. 1) or thelocation tracking system receiver 292 (FIG. 2), and store the locationdata in local memory 130 (FIG. 1) or 270 (FIG. 2). In addition, oralternatively, the start log signal may instruct the processor 268 toread, or otherwise obtain, time data from timing system 190 (FIG. 1) orthe timer 272 (FIG. 2), and store the time data in local memory 130(FIG. 1) or 270 (FIG. 2).

The mechanical trigger 264 can activate the actuation mechanism 288 viaa mechanical connection, e.g., a mechanical linkage, between themechanical trigger 264 and the actuation mechanism 288. Alternatively,the mechanical trigger 264 can activate the actuation mechanism 288 viaa wired or wireless electronic connection between the mechanical trigger264 and the actuation mechanism 288.

If a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320 is used by the userto initiate marking information storing and paint dispersal, thewireless/wired trigger 320 may send a signal to both the actuationmechanism 288 and the processor 268. The signal sent to the actuationmechanism 288 by the wireless/wired trigger 320 may result in theactuation of the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284 by the actuationmechanism 288. The signal sent to the processor 268 by thewireless/wired trigger 320 may trigger the storing of the markinginformation, the location information and/or the time data. The signalssent by the wireless/wired trigger 320 to the actuation mechanism 288and the processor 268 may be sent via a wired or wireless connection.

If a command on the touch screen display 266 is used by the user toinitiate storing of marking information, the location information and/orthe time data, and paint dispensing, the touch screen display 266 cansend a signal to both the actuation mechanism 288 and the processor 268.The signal sent to the actuation mechanism 288 by the touch screendisplay 266 may result in the actuation of the nozzle 290 of the paintcanister 284 by the actuation mechanism 288. The signal sent to theprocessor 268 by the touch screen display 266 may trigger the storing ofthe marking information, the location information and/or the time data.The signals sent by the touch screen display 266 to the actuationmechanism 288 and the processor 268 may be sent via a wired or wirelessconnection.

The marking information may be used by an external device and/or systemto identify which markers were dispensed, when the markers weredispensed, and/or an amount of markers that were dispensed. The markinginformation may be useful to determine whether a user dispensed thecorrect marker(s) (e.g., the correct color paint) in a particularlocation. Also, the marking information may be used to visually depict(e.g., in real time as the dispensing occurs) or reconstruct (e.g., at alater time after the dispensing is complete) the dispensing of themarkers on an electronic representation of the area that is currentlybeing marked or was previously marked. Also, the marking information maybe used to determine whether the job was completed correctly (e.g., thatthe amount of paint dispensed at the location was reasonable given thejob that was to be performed at the location).

The logged location and/or time data may be used by an external deviceand/or system to track the dispensing of markers with a high degree ofaccuracy. The logged location and/or time data may be useful whendisputes arise regarding whether the dispensed markers were placed inthe correct location. Also, the logged data may be used to visuallydepict (e.g., in real time as the dispensing occurs) or reconstruct(e.g., at a later time after the dispensing is complete) the dispensingof the markers on an electronic representation of the area that iscurrently being marked or was previously marked.

As shown in FIG. 4, the marking system 100 may be incorporated intoalready existing marking tools by locating the electronics on a board410 that can be mounted onto an existing marking tool 400. The processor268, local memory 270, input/output ports 244, tag reader 246 and/orwireless communication antenna 242 may be mounted on the board 410. Theboard 410 can be attached to the marking tool 400 using any means, suchas with fasteners, clamps, glue, etc.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for marking an area. Theprocess of FIG. 5 may begin with a user of a marking tool, such asmarking tool 200 (FIG. 2), being dispatched to a location to be marked.The user might be given a ticket that identifies what utilities the userneeds to mark at the location. The ticket might specify, for example,the location to be marked, the day and/or time that the location is tobe marked, and/or whether the user is to mark the location fortelecommunications (e.g., telephone and/or cable), power, gas, water,and/or sewer. The user might arrive at the location and take his/hermarking tool out of his/her vehicle. In some situations, the user mightload his/her pockets with extra markers (e.g., extra canisters of thesame color of paint or different colors of paint).

A marker may be loaded into the marking tool (block 510). For example,the user may load a paint canister 284 of the appropriate color intopaint canister holder 282. If the user is going to mark power, forexample, the user might load a paint canister 284 containing red paint.The paint canister 284 may be loaded such that nozzle 290 extends out ofthe bottom of the marking tool 200, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In one implementation, as described above, a tag 286 may be affixed tothe paint canister 284. The tag 286 may store information regarding oneor more characteristics of the marker. For example, the tag 286 mayidentify the type of marker (e.g., paint, flag, stake, etc.), the colorof marker (e.g., orange, red, yellow, blue, or green), and/or the shapeof the marker (e.g., square, triangular, circular, etc.).

The marker characteristic(s) may be identified (block 520). In oneimplementation, the marker characteristic(s) may be automaticallydetermined. For example, data from the tag 286 may be read by tag reader246 and sent to processor 268. The processor 268 may determine themarker characteristic(s) from this data, and cause information regardingthe marker characteristic(s) to be presented to the user (e.g., visuallyand/or audibly).

For example, a user interface may identify a characteristic of themarker. The user interface may optionally request the user to confirmthat the user intended to load a marker with the identifiedcharacteristic. The confirmation may establish that the user actuallylooked at the user interface before performing any marking operation. Inone implementation, the user may be unable to activate a trigger fordispensing a marker if the user does not confirm that the correct markeris loaded.

In another implementation, the marker characteristic(s) may be manuallydetermined. For example, the user may specify the markercharacteristic(s) via a user interface. The user interface may identifya number of possible characteristics (e.g., paint colors) of the marker.In this case, the user interface may request that that user select thepaint color to be dispensed. The user interface may also identify theutility that corresponds to each of the possible paint colors so thatthe user can confirm that the correct marker is loaded.

Trigger activation may be received (block 530). For example, the usermay effect trigger activation by applying pressure to the mechanicaltrigger 264 with his/her hand. Alternatively, or additionally, the usermay effect trigger activation by, for example, speaking a particularcommand to cause a trigger signal to be output by wireless/wired trigger320. Alternatively, or additionally, the user may effect triggeractivation by touching a particular area of display 266 to cause atrigger command to be output by display 266.

It may optionally be determined whether to permit trigger activation(block 540). For example, the user may be required to confirm that amarker with the correct marker characteristic was loaded before triggeractivation may be permitted. Alternatively, the marking tool 200 may beloaded with information from the user's ticket. In this case, triggeractivation may be prevented when the marker characteristic of the markerdoes not match the ticket information. For example, if the ticketinformation indicates that the user is to dispense blue and yellow paintat a particular location, then activation of the trigger may bepermitted if blue or yellow paint is loaded into the marking tool 200,and activation of the trigger may be prevented otherwise.

If activation of the trigger is permitted, then a marker may bedispensed (block 550), and marking information may be stored (block560). To dispense a marker (block 550), the actuation mechanism 288 maybe activated to cause the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284 to bedepressed, which may cause paint from the paint canister 284 to beoutput via the nozzle 290.

To store marking information (block 560), a signal may be sent to theprocessor 268. The signal may be sent from the signal generator 310, thewireless/wired trigger 320, and/or the display 266, as described above.The signal may instruct the processor 268 to store the markinginformation. For example, the processor 268 may store the markinginformation in local memory 270. In this case, the processor 268 maycreate an entry in local memory 270. Alternatively, or additionally, theprocessor 268 may store the marking information by transmitting themarking information for storage by a device or system external tomarking tool 200.

FIG. 6A is a diagram of an exemplary entry that may be created. As shownin FIG. 6A, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field 610and a timestamp field 620. The marker characteristic(s) field 610 mayinclude information regarding one or more marker characteristics, suchas marker color, marker shape, or marker type. The information in themarker characteristic(s) field 610 is shown in FIG. 6A as “yellow” or“yellow paint”—although any type of descriptive information may be used.The timestamp field 620 may include time data that identifies the dayand/or time that the marker was dispensed. The time data in thetimestamp field 620 is shown in FIG. 6A as 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 20,2005—although any type of date and/or time code may be used. Asexplained above, the marking information may be useful to determinewhether the user dispensed the correct marker(s) (e.g., the correctcolor paint) in a particular location. For example, the user's ticketmay identify what underground facilities were to be marked in the area.The marking information may help insure that the job was completedcorrectly.

FIG. 6B is a diagram of another exemplary entry that may be created. Asshown in FIG. 6B, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field610, a timestamp field 620, and a count field 630. The markercharacteristic(s) field 610 and the timestamp field 620 may be similarto the similarly named fields in FIG. 6A. The count field 630 mayinclude information that identifies the number of times that the useractivated the trigger to dispense a marker (e.g., yellow paint). Theinformation in the count field 630 is shown in FIG. 6B astwenty-three—although any count value can be used. The information inthe count field 630 may be useful to determine or estimate an amount ofpaint that was dispensed at the location and, thus, whether the amountof paint was reasonable given the job that was to be performed.

FIG. 6C is a diagram of another exemplary entry that may be created. Asshown in FIG. 6C, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field640, a timestamp field 620, and an elapsed time field 650. The markercharacteristic(s) field 640 and the timestamp field 620 may be similarto the similarly named fields in FIG. 6A. In this case, however, themarker characteristic(s) field 640 may additionally store an identifierthat identifies a particular marker (e.g., a particular canister ofpaint). The identifier is shown in FIG. 6C as “12345”—although any typeof identifier may be used.

The elapsed time field 650 may include information that identifies theamount of time that has elapsed from when the user activated the triggerfor dispensing a marker (e.g., yellow paint) to when the user ceasedactivating the trigger. The information in the elapsed time field 650 isshown in FIG. 6C as three minutes, forty five seconds, and three onehundredths of a second—although any time code can be used. Theinformation in the elapsed time field 650 may be useful to determine orestimate when a supply of markers is nearly empty. The information inthe elapsed time field 650 may help determine when to replace thecanister. The elapsed time or a signal indicating that a supply ofmarkers needs to be replaced may be presented to the user visuallyand/or audibly. The information in the elapsed time field 650 may also,or alternatively, be useful to determine or estimate an amount ofmarkers used in a particular location.

While three exemplary entries have been described with regard to FIGS.6A-6C, an entry may include more, fewer, different, or combinations ofthe fields shown in FIGS. 6A-6C.

The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe description to the precise form disclosed. Modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may beacquired from practice of the invention.

For example, the processors 140 and 268 can be general purposecomputers. Alternatively, they can be special purpose computers,programmed microprocessors or microcontrollers and peripheral integratedcircuit elements, ASICs or other integrated circuits, hardwiredelectronic or logic circuits such as discrete element circuits,programmable logic devices such as FPGA, PLD, PLA or PAL or the like. Ingeneral, any device capable of executing code can be used to implementprocessors 140 and 268. Local memories 130 and 270 can be implementedwith any type of electronic memory and/or storage device using any typeof media, such as magnetic, optical or other media.

Further, while a series of blocks have been illustrated in FIG. 5, theorder of the blocks may differ in other implementations. Also,non-dependent blocks may be performed in parallel.

Also, it has been described that information regarding an elapsed timecan be used to determine or estimate when a supply of markers is nearlyempty. In another implementation, a sensor may be used to detect aweight of a paint canister 284. The sensor may be placed on the paintcanister 284 or within the paint canister holder 282. The weight of thepaint canister 284 may be used to estimate how full or empty the paintcanister 284 is. This information may be provided to an operator of themarking tool 200 visually and/or audibly. In one implementation,replacing the paint canister 284 may trigger the identification of themarker characteristic (e.g., paint color) by the tag reader 246. Thismay help reduce the overall battery life of the tag reader 246 and/orthe tag 286 by limiting the number of times that the tag reader 246 isused (e.g., only obtain the marker characteristic when the paintcanister 284 is initially loaded into paint canister holder 282).

It will be apparent that aspects, as described above, may be implementedin many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in theimplementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code orspecialized control hardware used to implement these aspects is notlimiting of the description provided herein. Thus, the operation andbehavior of the aspects were described without reference to the specificsoftware code—it being understood that software and control hardware canbe designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitlydescribed as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended toinclude one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term“one” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” isintended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly statedotherwise.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings areby way of example only.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A marking apparatus to mark a presence oran absence of an underground facility in a dig area, the markingapparatus comprising: a housing including a handle, the housingconfigured to enable dispensing of a marker onto the ground for markingthe presence or the absence of the underground facility in the dig area;a marker dispenser holder affixed to the housing to hold a replaceablemarker dispenser; an actuator coupled to the housing, the actuatorconfigured to enable a user to cause dispensing of the marker from themarking dispenser onto the ground to mark the presence or absence of anunderground facility in the dig area; and a processing device coupled tothe housing, the processing device configured to log one or more dataelements associated with operation of the marking apparatus in anelectronic record of marking apparatus operation; a clock generator togenerate a current date and time; a tag reader to read tag informationfrom a tag associated with the marker dispenser; and a location trackingsystem to determine geographical coordinates of the marker, wherein theprocessing device logs the current date and time, the tag informationand the geographical coordinates of the marker in the electronic recordof marking apparatus operation.
 2. A marking apparatus as defined inclaim 1, wherein the processing device logs a count of user activationsof the marker dispenser in the electronic record of marking apparatusoperation.
 3. A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein theprocessing device logs an elapsed time of user activation of the markerdispenser in the electronic record of marking apparatus operation.
 4. Amarking apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a wirelesscommunication system to transmit selected information from theelectronic record of marking apparatus operation to a remote device. 5.A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a wirelesscommunication system to receive information associated with markingapparatus operation from a remote device.
 6. A marking apparatus asdefined in claim 1, further comprising an I/O port to transferinformation associated with marking apparatus operation to and from ahost device.
 7. A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising a local memory, wherein the electronic record of markingapparatus operation is stored in the local memory.
 8. A markingapparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a user interface toenable user control of the marking apparatus.
 9. A marking apparatus asdefined in claim 8, wherein the processing device is configured todisplay selected information from the electronic record of markingapparatus operation on the user interface.
 10. A marking apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to logone or more data elements in the electronic record of marking apparatusoperation in response to user activation of the marker dispenser.
 11. Amarking apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the tag informationincludes one or more data elements including a marker type, a markercolor and a marker shape.
 12. A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1,further comprising a weight sensor to sense a weight of the markingdispenser, wherein the processing device logs the weight of the markerdispenser in the electronic record of marking apparatus operation.
 13. Amarking apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the tag readercomprises one of a bar code reader, a radio frequency identificationreader and a near field communication reader.
 14. A marking apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein the location tracking system comprises oneof a global positioning system device and a global navigation satellitesystem device.
 15. A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1, whereinthe electronic record includes at least one entry representative of amarking operation in which the marker is dispensed from the markerdispenser onto the ground in the dig area.
 16. A marking apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein the processing device logs the geographiccoordinates of the marker in the electronic record when the marker isbeing dispensed from the marker dispenser onto the ground in the digarea.
 17. A marking apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein theelectronic record includes one or more entries, each of the entrieshaving one or more data fields.
 18. A method for operating a markingapparatus that holds a marking dispenser for marking a presence or anabsence of an underground facility in a dig area, the method comprising:positioning, via a handle disposed on a housing of the markingapparatus, the marking apparatus for a marking operation; operating themarking apparatus in association with dispensing a marker from themarker dispenser onto the ground in the dig area to mark the presence orthe absence of the underground facility; logging, using a processingdevice coupled to the housing of the marking apparatus, one or more dataelements associated with the operation of the marking apparatus in anelectronic record of marking apparatus operation; generating a currentdate and time; reading tag information from a tag associated with themarker dispenser; determining geographical coordinates of the marker;and logging the current date and time, the tag information and thegeographical coordinates of the marker in the electronic record ofmarking apparatus operation.
 19. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising logging a count ofuser activations of the marker dispenser in the electronic record ofmarking apparatus operation.
 20. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising logging an elapsedtime of user activation of the marker dispenser in the electronic recordof marking apparatus operation.
 21. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising transmittingselected information from the electronic record of marking apparatusoperation to a remote device using a wireless communication system. 22.A method for operating a marking apparatus as defined in claim 18,further comprising receiving information associated with markingapparatus operation from a remote device using a wireless communicationsystem.
 23. A method for operating a marking apparatus as defined inclaim 18, further comprising transferring information associated withmarking apparatus operation to or from a host device using an I/O portof the marking apparatus.
 24. A method for operating a marking apparatusas defined in claim 18, further comprising storing the electronic recordof marking apparatus operation in a local memory of the markingapparatus.
 25. A method for operating a marking apparatus as defined inclaim 18, further comprising receiving user inputs through a userinterface of the marking apparatus.
 26. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein logging one or more dataelements in the electronic record of marking apparatus operation isperformed in response to user activation of the marker dispenser.
 27. Amethod for operating a marking apparatus as defined in claim 18, whereinlogging the tag information includes logging one or more data elementsincluding a marker type, a marker color and a marker shape.
 28. A methodfor operating a marking apparatus as defined in claim 18, furthercomprising displaying selected information from the electronic record ofmarking apparatus operation.
 29. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising sensing a weight ofthe marking dispenser and logging the weight in the electronic record ofmarking apparatus operation.
 30. A method for operating a markingapparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein reading tag information from atag comprises reading tag information from one of a bar code, a radiofrequency identification device and a near field communication device.31. A method for operating a marking apparatus as defined in claim 18,wherein determining geographical coordinates of the marker comprisesdetermining geographical coordinates with one of a global positioningsystem device and a global navigation satellite system device.
 32. Amethod for operating a marking apparatus as defined in claim 18, whereinthe electronic record includes at least one entry representative of amarking operation in which the marker is dispensed from the markerdispenser onto the ground in the dig area.
 33. A method for operating amarking apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the geographicalcoordinates of the marker are logged in the electronic record when themarker is being dispensed from the marker dispenser onto the ground inthe dig area.
 34. A method for operating a marking apparatus as definedin claim 18, wherein the electronic record includes one or more entries,each of the entries having one or more data fields.